The 2013 soybean crop market lost 6 cents over the weekend break and opened on this past Monday at $13.45. Price moved slightly higher through the week in a very erratic manner before closing Friday with a statewide average of $13.59 (Figure 1). The close left the market a net 8 cents above the prior Friday average. Five of the fourteen regular markets stopped submitting quotes during the week. High individual market daily quote was $13.89 on Thursday at West Memphis. Low quote of the period was $13.22 at Augusta on Monday. All market quotes fell within the $13.00-14.00 range during the past week. Closing quotes across all reporting markets ranged from a $13.41 low at both Des Arc and Jonesboro to a $13.83 high at West Memphis. These end-of -week quotes left the market price range at 42 cents, a widening of 3 cents from the previous week ending spread.

Fig. 1 – AR 2013 Crop Soybean Cash Market Prices (Feb. 10-14, 2014)

New Crop Soybean Market Prices representing early bookings of the 2014 crop lost 5 cents over the weekend to a statewide average on Monday of $11.22 and, like the cash market, generally moved higher in an erratic manner (Figure 2). Price closed at $11.34 on Friday, a 7 cent gain over the previous Friday ending price. High individual market quote of the week was $11.55 at West Memphis on Thursday. Low individual market for the period was at Des Arc with $10.96 on Monday. Des Arc also had the only other sub-$11.00 daily quote of the week with $10.99 on Wednesday. Again like the cash market, five state market locations ceased submitting 2014 crop booking quotes during the week. All of the nine reporting markets were above $11.00 at the end of the week. The end-of-week price spread extended from a high of $11.52 at West Memphis to a low of $11.11 at Des Arc. These quotes left the market spread at 41 cents, 2 cents less than the previous week price range.

Fig. 2 – AR 2014 New Crop Soybean Market Prices (Feb. 10-14, 2014)

(Market average prices stated in this report are unweighted averages of the state markets surveyed by NASS. Price data was based on USDA LR GR111 Arkansas Daily Grain Reports.)